And it is all about destroying the government. (apology to Catwoman)

"By the tone of their remarks, one gets the impression that they (the GOP) would truly welcome some political or policy cataclysm, something that would shake America to its roots."

From Peter G. Peterson's "Running On Empty". Peterson is a conservative Republican of the sane, reality based variety. Among other things he was in the Reagan administration and former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank in New York.

I posted this in GD, but it more directly political than general. I realize many of us have thought about this and many believe it to be true. I did so, as well, but in a theoretical, they really couldn't be that bad, sort of way. Now, I believe it.

It has become obvious that what the GOP is doing is propelled by a desire for drastic economic change. It has nothing to do with religious or moral idealism, as we know. New Orleans is the canary, just the first to, quite publicly, feel the effects. The ill equipped soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan were among the very first.

The GOP economic policies are not about over taxation (except for the Paris Hilton rich), or random, continuous tax cuts stimulating the economy (they don't, everyone...well except for the duped, knows that), or making the tax code more efficient (then how would they give away money to their friends), or that supply side economics stimulates work, saving and investment(oh please, I was around in the 80's). It is about killing government, destroying it from the inside so that it implodes.

Rich or poor, black, white, yellow, red, and now, pea green and from Mars, (George's space program, oh joy) we are all in trouble.

I think this callous disregard most effects all people living in poverty. They have nothing to give the GOP except their votes, if they do vote. And, the GOP will give them nothing back except for a shell game.

And, quite frankly, with our current lack of infrastructure development we are all sitting on the edge. The middle class will take the next big hit from the GOP's plan to "starve the beast". If they want government to go to hell in a hand basket, hell is where we will all end up.

The Denver Post reported today that the city's fire trucks and equipment are in need of an overdue update. Denver's budget constraints, unaided by any practical assistance from Homeland inSecurity, are keeping the city unprepared for a major disaster. The same was true in New Orleans, the political culture aside.

Roads, levees, bridges, viable, sustainable energy sources, emergency preparedness....all go begging. We are stretching too thin, all across the United States. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, housing assistance are in danger of being crippled or disappearing all together.

Peterson writes: "Republican Myth 5 Let's be honest. This is all about politics. In the long run, our tax cuts will force Congress to cut back on spending and, with that, cut back government." I don't know that this is a myth, as the previous four he offers for consideration probably are, we are seeing it happen.

He also says that this is unfair to our children who will bear the burden, is cynical because it assumes our democratic process is broken, and is hypocritical because the Republicans are not trying to shrink government, to reduce government spending.

I now think it is fairly obvious the Republicans are trying end run democratic process to destroy government and rebuild it in their own vision. That puts all of us directly at risk.

So, all of the poor, all of America are the targets of these GOP criminals. The ideologue goggles worn by the average GOP supporters need to be ripped off, and the pretenders unmasked for the lying predators that they are.

For what it's worth, Peterson says we need leadership and voting Americans to ask for the truth, however much that hurts. He says (paraphrased) that the party that lies the most will lose in the next realigning election, and offers a quote from John Arbuthnot an early observer of political parties in modern Europe. "All political parties die at last of swallowing their own lies".

So, do I feel better? Not much. It is going to get worse before it gets better. We need to be asking the hard questions, out loud and in the public square.

Could he really comprehend and implement the plan to make government "implode"?

I don't think so.

It's possible he's been sold a bill of goods by his handlers and he actually believes he's doing something noble while the "implosion" crowd works their magic.

I just don't think Bush* could think of this himself...or keep his mouth shut about it.

are the neo cons and they have been planning this for a very long time.

Bush is not smart. He is an arrogant sob who craves power. He has the power and they have a stooge who will do what they want.

he has an 'appeal' to many Americans that I'll bet even the neocons are surprised at. His down-home demeanor, his mispronunciations, his "Jesus saved me from drugs & alcohol" story -- he elicits a response from the sheeple that I think amazed even the neocons. I honestly don't think they ever expected him to have such a huge & loyal following.

beer with him too?!!! I know that that has been a dream of mine for some time now. ;)

And I'd take a picture of the two of us together & broadcast it everywhere with the caption: Here's your born-again recovered alcoholic president drinking a beer with a evil, whacko liberal!

Either that or I'd spike his drink.

}(

very little to do with planning anything.

that huge numbers of people do (as in a bureacracy) is that well planned. I think that true evil is probably more the result of omission rather than commision.

for so long by the FEDS.

What can we do about it other than to watch it unfold?

Bush ran the Federal Government just like every other business he's touched, into the ground. The only the Bush Boys know how to make money is to go bankrupt. Why did anyone think they wouldn't do the same to the government?

George and his friends walked away with a barrel full of cash and left the stadium authority district with a law suit. George & Co condemned some horse farms they thought they might need for stadium "development". The former owners sued and won, but George had walked and left the district's taxpayers with the bill.

It's all about who the mark is.

very worried:

And, quite frankly, with our current lack of infrastructure development we are all sitting on the edge. The middle class will take the next big hit from the GOP's plan to "starve the beast". If they want government to go to hell in a hand basket, hell is where we will all end up.

They've gone for the poor, next it will be the Middle Class. Our infrastructure has been in trouble for decades but neither Repug or Dem Administrations wanted to deal with it. WAR was their answer to all economic problems. Weather it was "Outright War" or "Cold War" destroying other contries seems to have been more of a boost to keeping the "people" engaged and an excuse for more money being tossed at arming ourselves and loosening the purse strings of debt.

I gave Clinton credit for much in not having "continuing wars" in his administration and for increasing taxes to get rid of the debt...but he allowed so much else to go wrong that it only took a year of Bush's Usurption to lose it all once again.

Do you have a link for the article you quoted? It sounds like a good read...and thanks for posting it!

It's good to discuss this..I think...but I'm pretty bummed out tonight.

...why the corporate DLCers demand that we not hold Bush accountable for anything. Like the RWingers...they also want to see our government destroyed and rebuilt from the ground up to fit their shared agenda.

When they rebuild it...the last remnants of the New Deal, Great Society and social safety net will be just a memory. Every aspect of government will be 'privatized' and made unaccountable to the people.

We've seen this coming for a long time. But what hurts the most is that there are (d)emocrats helping it to become a reality.

great post, MissMarple !!

no progress, regardless of what battles Democrats choose to fight, can be made under this regime ... all progress, help for NO victims, fending off bush's Social Security changes, prescription drugs under Medicare, it's all illusory ... when their power becomes absolute, they will define everything as they wish ...

perhaps some Democrats label these views as extremist ... our only business is to teach them otherwise ... until there is truly an organized force, hopefully the Democratic Party, to speak to the crimes, to speak to the very conscious destruction of our government and our society and to speak to the greed that drives all their policies, all battles we fight are merely distractions ...

some may hate to "just let Democrats lose" ... but those Democrats who either don't see what the BP points out or are too fearful to engage the struggle, cannot be allowed to sweep along those who believe in their short-sightedness any further ... we need to tell those who will not join us that the status quo cannot continue ...

we are in a battle for our survival and some believe we can simply vote them out of office ... i wish it were that simple ... i'm recommending this thread ... ultimately, there is really not much else worth discussing ...

could keep their programming of the voting machines SECRET, under proprietary business secrets, is the day Democracy ended as we know it.

Even the supremes putting boosh in office, when Gore won by a landslide, doesn't touch the damage that was done by that ONE RIGHT WING CORPORATIST JUDGE, that sold the votes of 350 million Americans down the river without a paddle.

:kick: